Mary Ledford

Longtime Casper resident Mary Ledford, 83, left this world early Wednesday morning to join many loved ones who passed before her. Mary was born in Woodville, Oklahoma on February 25, 1927 to parents Hattie May and John Lewis Coffee. The youngest of five children, Mary grew up in Oklahoma with brothers T.J. and John and sisters Bernice and Monette (all deceased). Mary attended college at Oklahoma Baptist University, and moved to Wyoming in 1969 with former husband Don Ledford (deceased) and their two daughters. She worked for many years as an assistant to Casper dentist D.K. Root, and developed lasting friendships in Casper as she watched her daughters grow up and achieve their educational and professional goals. She loved music, movies, history, reading, crossword puzzles, spending time with friends, and keeping up with local and national politics and current events. She was an excellent cook, and many of her friends will remember looking forward to getting a batch of home-made turtles from Mary around the holidays. Beginning in 2002 Mary confronted several challenges to her health, and in 2006 she moved from the house in Valley Hills she called home for over 35 years to Park Place Assisted Living Community and later to Life Care Center, where she spent her final days in the comforting care of the Life Care staff. Mary departed this life peacefully in the presence of her daughters Donna Wichers of Casper and Laura Ledford of Decatur, IL. She is survived by Donna and Laura and their husbands Bill Wichers and Tomasz Kulakowski, and by several nieces and nephews and their children. She will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by her family and her many friends in Casper, who cherished her warmth, her vibrant personality, and her wicked sense of humor over the course of a long and full life. Memorial services for Mary Ledford will be held at 2:00 P.M. Saturday, January 15, 2011 at Bustard's Funeral Home. The family will host a reception following the service, location TBA.